South Carolina Advocates Take “Cities for Cycling” Concept to the State Level

Posted: 01/06/2012

By Lisa Seyfried

Drawing inspiration from a national initiative, the Palmetto Cycling Coalition (PCC) is developing a new way for state stakeholders to discuss best practices for introducing and maintaining bicycle programs in South Carolina.

Cities for Cycling: South Carolina will bring bicycle advocates together with planning and engineering departments of cities and towns across the state to identify core issues relating to bicycle transportation challenges and opportunities. Through peer-to-peer collaboration among these various departments statewide, the PCC hopes to establish a forum for the exchange of bicycle transportation innovation, insights, and recommendations.

“The catalyst was a three-day visit with Mia Birk in South Carolina,” Rachael Bronson, PCC’s Executive Director, explains. “As we visited three cities in the state — trips that I often take on regular PCC business — I had a different perspective on the role that the PCC can play in local bicycle advancements across the state. Somewhere around that time, I received an email from Jeff (Miller) asking advocacy groups like the PCC to encourage cities to sign-on to Cities for Cycling.”

The National Association for City Transportation Officials (NACTO) created its Cities for Cycling program to provide a resource and venue for best practices in developing and implementing bicycle-friendly policies and projects in cities across the nation. Bronson saw the merit of the national initiative, but knew it could play an even more important role at the state level. “Cities and towns in South Carolina just cannot relate to cities like Pittsburgh and San Francisco and others,” she says. “And, problems that cities face in South Carolina are state-specific. Really, these thoughts were the genesis of our forum.”

In developing the concept for the state forum, Bronson was mindful that an advocate-led initiative could alienate some potential participants. Luckily, the city of Charleston was already blazing away at some innovative bike-ped projects and willingly took a leadership role in circulating the idea and bringing folks to the table. Thus far, even in the forum’s infant stages, the response has been resoundingly positive.

“Leaders from all over the state are chomping at the bit to get involved,” Bronson says. And the PCC is excited to serve as the forum’s facilitator, overseeing the group’s activities, and ensuring its long-term vitality and relevance to South Carolina public policy.

Last month, the forum held its first meeting and identified the need for an action plan and implementation of the statewide bicycle design specifications. Bronson hopes that the forum will be a resource for future planning and that this effort will serve as a model for other states to create similar forums.

To learn more, visit the PCC website or download the Cities for Cycling: South Carolina narrative here.